Città d'Udine - J. Hondius 1627

📜 Description
Original engraved view depicting the city of Udine, published in Leiden in 1627 as part of Nova et Accurata Italiae Hodiernae Descriptio by Jodocus Hondius and the Elsevier editorial circle. The composition represents the Friulian urban center through a schematic bird’s-eye perspective typical of early 17th-century Dutch topographical cartography, emphasizing the fortified perimeter, internal street network, principal buildings, and the organization of the urban fabric. The engraved title “Citta d’Vdine” appears at the upper center, while the verso contains Latin text connected to the geographic and descriptive function of the publication. The engraving develops through a compact and orderly urban structure, with walls, roads, and architectural blocks rendered through a clear and analytical engraved line that balances documentary precision with visual legibility. The plate belongs to the tradition of early modern city views intended for a cultivated European audience interested in the geography and political organization of the Italian peninsula. Representative of Northern European editorial production of the period, the work constitutes a significant testimony to the representation of Italian cities in 17th-century cartographic culture.

📚 Historical-Artistic Note
Jodocus Hondius ranks among the leading figures of early 17th-century Dutch cartography, renowned for the precision of his engravings and the broad European circulation of his geographic works. The plate belongs to Nova et Accurata Italiae Hodiernae Descriptio, conceived as an updated and systematic representation of the Italian territories and principal cities. Works of this type, produced within the Dutch publishing milieu linked to the Elsevier family, testify to the strong international interest in Italian urban geography during the Baroque period.

🧾 Technical Details
Title: Citta d’Vdine
Type: Original engraved city view
Author / Cartographer / Manufacture: J. Hondius
Designer / Engraver: not indicated
Publisher / Printer: Bonaventura / Elsevir
Place: Leiden
Period: 1627
Material: Paper
Technique: Etching
Edition / Print Run: From Nova et Accurata Italiae Hodiernae Descriptio
Dimensions: sheet 21.5 × 27.5 cm; engraved area 18 × 23.5 cm

🔍 Condition Report
Sheet in excellent overall condition. Minor foxing visible. Engraved surface well impressed and clearly legible. Verso with Latin text.